Main » Germany's SPD Turns to Former Rabble-Rouser to Sell Merkel Deal

Germany's SPD Turns to Former Rabble-Rouser to Sell Merkel Deal

15 February 2018

"Of course the list will draw from party's entire spectrum", Merkel told public broadcaster ZDF in the interview.

BERLIN-Germany is getting another grand coalition. She modified her image as a socialist rabble-rouser while serving in Merkel's cabinet over the past four years. "We have six ministerial posts to fill and from my point of view we need to ensure that not only the over-60s are considered but also younger people".

Mrs Merkel faces growing internal dissent over her decision to give the post of finance minister to Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat (SPD), during hard coalition talks last week. "This is painful with the finance minister". "When the time comes, candidates will have to assert themselves".

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Koch openly questioned the longevity of the next government: "I don't see or hear anyone voicing the hope that this coalition deal formulates a future-facing political agenda".

The coalition deal has yet to be approved by the SPD's approximately 460,000 members, whose verdict will be announced on 4 March.

Germany's center-left Social Democratic Party shuffled its top leadership Tuesday, seeking to end internal squabbles and re-focus its members on passing an agreement to form a new government with ChancellorAngela Merkel's conservatives. We looked on the coalition agreement text, which provides directions on the new German coalition´s position on energy and carbon.

The veteran leader said that despite the sniping over a poor election result and the loss of key ministries in a fresh coalition deal, she felt no loss of authority and wanted to stay at the helm of Europe's biggest economy until 2021.